In Too Deep. Sharon Dunn

straightened in his chair and stared at the floor for a long moment. “I don’t know what you think about me. But please believe me, I don’t want you to come to any harm.”

      He had pulled her from danger more than once. And though he’d had an opportunity to harm her, he had kept her safe. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”

      He turned to face her. “Why were you out there?”

      She watched his unwavering gaze as a tiny bit of trust grew inside her.

      “Like I said, I was out there to get a kid. I talked him out of getting involved with the drug trade. I’m not sure why he ran. I’m worried about his safety, but I’m also concerned that he decided to throw in with the drug dealers after all. Those dealers must have shown up early. I thought I had time to get him out.”

      Why would he ask the same question over and over, expecting a different answer? That sort of questioning technique was something a cop would do. Was it possible Joseph was on the other side of the law?

      “Do you know why the guy in the baseball hat tried to strangle and drown you?”

      Yeah, he was definitely acting like a cop. Her whole body convulsed when the memory of nearly dying rose to the surface. She wrapped her arms over her chest.

      Joseph reached out and touched her arm. “You’re safe now.” He rubbed her forearm in a soothing way. His touch calmed her. His kindness seemed to break down even more walls.

      Joseph put his empty glass on the wood floor. The fire in the fireplace crackled.

      She took in a breath, appreciating that he waited until she was ready to talk. “That second man, the one who came out on shore and then disappeared into the trees when we were in the boat—”

      “I didn’t get a good look at him. I was trying to start the boat.”

      “I saw him earlier in the forest.” A chill penetrated her skin. “He had drugs in a satchel. He was holding a brick in his hand.”

      Joseph sat up a little straighter. “Really? What else do you remember about him?”

      “Not a lot. Getting shot at kind of wipes things from your memory.” She touched her own wrist. “He had this big gold watch on the hand that held the brick.”

      Joseph leaned toward her, his eyes growing wide. “You think you would recognize him?”

      She still shuddered at the memory. So much trauma had happened since that moment. She tried to recall the man’s features. “I think if I saw him again I might.” She rose to her feet. “You ask a lot of questions for a guy who runs a skateboard shop.” And carried a gun.

      He shrugged. “That other guy seemed bent on your destruction. I was trying to figure out why it was happening...if it will keep happening until that guy is behind bars.”

      She paced as anxiety caused her to tense up. The man she’d seen in the forest must be important to the drug trade. Even when they got safely back to town, her life might be in danger. “I should go to the police. They have files, photographs of drug dealers. If I saw him again, maybe it would jog my memory. I got an even closer look at the guy with the baseball hat.”

      Joseph didn’t respond.

      Every time she mentioned the police, Joseph fell silent. Old suspicions rose to the surface. The words she’d just spoken settled around her. This was all too much. She rested her palm against her face.

      Joseph’s voice was filled with compassion as he rose to his feet. “You’re going to be okay.”

      “Meaning that I’ll be left alone, right?” She shook her head, still trying to fathom what all this meant.

      Joseph squeezed her hand. “Why don’t you sit? I’ll go heat us up some water and food. Then we’ll be back on our way to Scenic View.”

      He hadn’t answered her question. “I’ll have to leave a note for my friend so she doesn’t think elves came in and raided her pantry and took her bikes.”

      Sierra closed her eyes and listened to Joseph bustling around in the kitchen. He was still being evasive with her. She tensed. More than anything, she wanted to believe that the violence of the night was an isolated incident and that she would be able to go back to life as normal.

      Predawn light warmed Joseph’s face as they pedaled the mountain bikes down the trail that led back into Scenic View. The food had revived him somewhat, but he was beyond exhausted, and he had to open the shop in a few hours so he could keep up appearances of being a mild-mannered store manager.

      Sierra was talking about going to the police. If one of the local cops was feeding info to the drug network, it could put Sierra in even more danger. He had a choice to make. Could he trust her enough to let her in on his cover and tell her why they needed to leave the police out of this? She probably suspected already that he wasn’t who he said he was.

      He stopped on the flat part of the trail to catch his breath. Sierra followed ten yards behind him. She rounded the hill and sailed down the trail toward him.

      Sierra braked beside him and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was pretty in an unconventional way. The thin nose and slanted eyes made her look fragile, like a porcelain doll. He admired Sierra. Whatever suspicions she harbored about Trevor, it was clear she cared about him and the other kids she worked with.

      In the distance, the outskirts of Scenic View were visible. The resort hotel built on the lakefront towered over everything. There were only a few boats on the lake at this early hour. Washed in the warm glow of early morning light, the water shimmered.

      Mention of the large-faced gold watch led Joseph to believe Sierra had seen the man DEA had been tracking for years, a dangerous man who would go to all lengths not to be identified, judging from the way the man in the baseball hat had gone after her. He had a feeling he should stick close to her for her protection. She could help with his investigation, but not if something happened to her.

      “So, do you have a job you need to get to?”

      She shook her head. “I work from home. I’m a bookkeeper.”

      “You mind hanging out at the shop until we’re sure this whole thing has blown over?”

      She glanced at him, and he saw the fear behind her eyes. “I’m still worried about Trevor. I at least need to make some calls and tell the police he’s missing.”

      “Why don’t you start by calling around from the shop?”

      She shrugged and then her expression grew pensive. “I can’t live my life like a captive. I’ll just go to the police. They can help me.”

      “Sure, I suppose.” He didn’t need the local cops sniffing around him or his shop. He pushed off on the bike. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

      The wheels whirred up and down the hills until the landscape flattened out and they came to the edge of town. This was an older part of town. The houses were built on bigger lots but were more run-down.

      In his short time living here, the town seemed to be a place of contrast. Between rich and lower class. Between old and showy.

      The drug problem here was bad and had escalated in recent months. Both bored kids with disposable incomes looking for a thrill and kids trapped in the cycle of poverty were targets. Scenic View was believed to be the hub for drug distribution throughout the Northwest.

      They pedaled down the street.

      Joseph swung around to the alley of the skateboard shop. He lived in the apartment above the shop. After opening the lower level of the shop so they could push the bikes in to keep them from being stolen, he headed up the stairs. Sierra followed behind him.

      He opened the door and stepped inside, hurrying to pick up some workout clothes he’d left on the couch. Glancing around, he realized that his place looked like a total bachelor pad, with dishes in the sink